Chapter 7- Breaking the ice
Draco's arm snaked around Ginny's waist. Oh how he longed to pull her close to him, but he was afraid she might react wildly, for it had been a long time since they had made physical contact and he believed it would take time to heal the wounds he had not meant to inflict.
To his dismay, Ginny did protest. 'I don't feel comfortable with your arm around me like this, Malfoy,' she said sternly. Draco winced as she said his last name again, but he loosened his grip further per her request.
'My apologies,' he said quietly.
'Where on earth are we going anyway?' Ginny asked, curiously.
'You shall see when we get there.'
He flew around, down to the edge of the lake. It was far enough away from the castle and so it served its purpose in hiding the two from prying eyes. Draco landed as gently as he could and as he dismounted, Ginny stayed where she was.
'Come, Ginny,' Draco said.
'No, I don't think I want to. Not with you. What madness is this? If my brother or Harry knew about this...'
'But they aren't going to know.'
'Who's to say I won't tell them?'
'You won't.
'You have no promise of that.'
'No, you're right, I don't. But I am hoping that you will find it in your heart to keep silent about this. Now please, just..........please come here.' He held out his arms rather awkwardly. Ginny dismounted the broom gracefully and walked towards him. She bypassed his outstretched arms, spread one of the blankets out on the grass and seated herself upon it, on the very edge of the lake. Draco put his arms down and closed his eyes as he felt the blow to his heart. He knew that this night was indeed going to be difficult, but he had hoped.........
He sat down, not too close to Ginny, but close enough. He was silent and he watched her as she trailed her hand in the icy water, its depths unknown and dark. He looked out over the lake. It was a half-moon tonight. The stars winked at him from above and wispy clouds drifted dreamily across the dark blue sky. He watched the small ripples Ginny was making as they grew larger and larger and spread out across a small section of the lake. He studied her face. Her pallor near milk-white with the glow of the moon and her small hand moving slowly, gently across the silky surface of the water. He longed for her touch, to feel her soft skin against his body, to feel her caress his hair as she had once done, but he had to keep himself restrained. She was not ready to open up to him again, not yet. He knew this had to be done slowly, calmly.
'Ginny,' Draco began. He paused, gathering his courage. 'I really wanted to talk to you tonight about what's been going on lately.' Ginny remained silent, hand moving up and down. Up. Down. Draco hesitated and then tried a different approach. 'Do you remember the times we shared many, many weeks ago?'
'Not really,' she said indifferently. 'I mean, Ron told me I had been spending quite a bit of time with you. Obviously that had to stop. Don't know what got into me back then.' She still didn't look at him. Her face remained the same- serene, a mask with no emotion.
'Surely you remember SOMETHING of our time together.'
This time, Ginny did look up. One of her eyebrows arched up, questioningly, but then the mask was placed over her features once more and, still looking at him, she said, 'Nothing.'
Draco was amazed at how much hurt these two syllables could impose. His horror at her response must have shown on his face for Ginny turned her head on one side, curiously, and asked, 'Is something the matter Malfoy?'
Draco took a deep breath. 'Let me remind you,' his voice wavered. 'We sat here together, in this very spot. We walked along the lake's edge. We met each other in the school corridors, we spent time together in empty classrooms. We walked around Hogsmeade, hand in hand, laughing- talking about anything and everything. I bought you a necklace. When Harry handled you harshly, I defended you and sent him away. We sat and lay together on the grass.' Ginny's hand still moved over the water. Up. Down. Up. Down. 'We- we caressed each other, we read the longing in each others' eyes. We told each other our secrets.' Up. Down. Up. Down. 'We comforted each other, we touched, we embraced.' Up. Down. Up. Down. 'We- we confided in one another, we spoke to each other with feeling and emotion, we kissed passionately.' After this sentence, Ginny's hand stopped. 'You remember nothing?'
Ginny didn't meet his desperate gaze. 'Nothing,' she said, although this time, the reply was quieter, more uncertain. It wasn't as defiant as the previous. Draco felt a small spark of hope at her response. He continued.
' We walked throughout the school, amongst the students. Past their disapproving glances, hushed comments and gossip. We had eyes only for each other and they were shut out. They didn't matter. We only cared about each other. We- we were in love.'
At this, Ginny glanced at him. Once their eyes locked, she could not tear her gaze away. Draco saw her eyes. They were brighter, more alert now. Encouraged by this, he went on.
'But then, something changed, and it was for the worse. Someone from our school sent an owl to my father telling him of our romance. This person had been watching us grow closer together and his hatred swelled. He and his friend despised our joy in one another. They had tried to forbid you from seeing me, but love cannot be vanquished and stilled so easily. And so they resorted to telling my father and he was infuriated. His letter back made my head spin and my heart quail. He said if this romance did not cease, he would disown me as a son and cast me out of the family. This I did not care about in the slightest, but it was the next part of the letter that impacted on me. He said that he would find a way to hurt you, and if not you, then those in your family. Those you hold dear and love would mysteriously vanish or perhaps die of some mysterious illness that couldn't be cured in time for its cause to be discovered at St Mungo's. Oh yes, my father has his ways and he is willing to stoop that low. He informed me that he was paying students in the mail to write to him of my actions and tell him of any disobedience involving myself with regard to his plain request- to stay well away from you. I still have his note and I have worked out who some of his devious little spies are, but I can never be sure of how many there really are.
But moving on with the story. I had read the letter and there was nothing more I wanted than to keep you safe. I tried to distance myself from you- though it was very hard for me to do. I tried to avoid you and I barely spoke to you. When I did, it was formal and cold. You caught on straight away that things were different between us. You sought me out and asked me why. The response I chose to give to this question was probably the worst I could have picked. I told you lies- the worst imaginable. I told you I thought we shouldn't be together anymore............ but-but every step I took without you by my side, it was as if I were walking on burning coals. For every time I couldn't talk to you, my throat became dry and I didn't want to talk to anyone else. For every time I wanted to reach out and touch you and had to restrain myself, I wanted to beat my fists until the blood ran. For- for every time I saw you walk past me with no hint of recognition in your eyes, I felt a stab of pain within my chest....... I was a fool. I told you I didn't love you, but oh how I did, and still do. I saw your pain in a different way and I was tormented by it. You had no emotion, no feeling, no laughter or joy in any of your actions. You walked as if you were in a dream, a trance. A hollow shell of the person you once were. I saw this and yet it was so hard to watch you thus. I didn't know what to do or where to turn.
But another of your friends, one who truly cares about your well-being found me and gave me an idea of how I could talk to you without risking your safety or the safety of those who you love.
And so, here we sit. I before you, you before me. I've told you how I feel and what I've done. I've reminded you of everything and told you what an idiot I've been. All I can say is that I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. I can't take back what I have done, but I am trying to mend the hurt that I caused.' He finished. His heart was racing and he watched her, waiting for a reply- anything.
She sat and stared at him and he stared levelly back. His stomach was uneasy with nervousness about what she might say, but she didn't say anything, and this was worse. They looked at each other for what felt like a silent eternity to Draco. But his heart pumped even harder when he saw what happened next. For a moment, a brief, blessed moment, the mask dissipated. He saw Ginny's real emotion in her eyes. Her pain, her sorrow, her longing. The mask quickly regained control over her features, but not fast enough to stop a single glistening tear from sliding down the side of her cheek.
Draco saw this and hope welled up inside him. Ginny quickly brushed it away, but he had seen it. He seized the opportunity to melt the ice further- he moved closer to her and enfolded her in his arms in one sweeping movement. He felt her body stiffen against his, but he held on.
'Move away from me Malfoy,' she said quietly. But he would not let go. 'Get away,' she said, louder this time. Still, he held on. Then she squealed. 'Get away, leave me alone, just GET AWAY,' she began to beat her small fists against his chest, but he hardly felt a thing. She flailed wildly and tried to push him away from her, but he held her tightly and he was not going to let go. 'Get away, please,' she whispered, but she did not fight his embrace anymore. 'Please, please oh please, just leave me be,' the last sentence was barely audible.
It was then that what he had hoped for happened. Tears streamed down her cheeks. Her body shook with the pain that she had bottled up for so long. He heard her sharp breathing as she silently sobbed.
'I'm sorry Ginny, I'm so, so sorry.' And then all her defences fell. The ice was melted, the mask discarded and thrown aside. The tears flowed and flowed. She buried her head in his chest, clinging to the front of his shirt. His chest was near drenched by her tears. She let it all out, all the grief, all the pain, all the anger and by the time she was done, she felt weak. Still Draco held her close. He kissed the tip of her nose and then planted a trail of kisses down her cheek, the side of her chin and the upper part of her neck and between each planted kiss he whispered, 'I'm sorry.'
She wiped the tears off her cheeks and placed a hand gently on either side of his face. Then she pulled him down towards her upturned face and their lips met. The first kiss was long and lingering. Their lips parted and then met once more and there was no going back. It was sweet and the feeling was so, so good. They kissed hungrily, as though they were making up for all the lost time of the past few weeks. Their tongues gently touched and probed. Ginny's arms went around Draco and his around the bottom half of her back. They pulled each other even closer and kissed each other fiercely. Had Ron been watching, he would have been at a loss for the passion he saw before him, for indeed such passion it was They drew staggering breaths in between each parting and meeting of the lips and Ginny found herself slowly moving downwards until she was lying on the ground. Draco leant over her, supporting his weight on one hand, caressing her face with the other and continuing to kiss her.
'You don't have to do that,' Ginny managed to say between kisses.
'You're sure?' Draco replied.
'Mmmmmmmhmmmmmmm,' Ginny sighed and pulled him down so that his entire weight rested on her body.
Ginny moaned quietly out of pure pleasure and Draco found it hard not to smile. They were together again and the moment was so joyous, they wished to savour every second- every kiss, every breath, every heartbeat.
Ginny felt Draco's heart pulsing against her chest and the feeling was comforting. No matter what would happen tomorrow, she knew that Draco loved her and she loved him.
After several minutes, when both were hot and flushed and breathless, they lay down beside one another and looked into each others' eyes. Their arms we still around each other and their legs were partially entwined. Ginny's nose could hardly have been two centimetres from Draco's and they couldn't stop grinning. Every now and then, they exchanged spontaneous kisses and caresses, but they were content.
Ginny sighed and turned around. She wriggled backwards so that she was pressed against Draco's chest, feeling the heat of his body, and he enfolded her in his arms, protectively.
'I don't want tomorrow to come,' Ginny yawned.
'Why is that?' Draco asked, kissing her hair.
'Because, we can't walk together down the corridors anymore, we can't kiss or touch in public......How the hec am I going to manage that?'
Draco laughed at her. 'Well, you know there's always the empty classrooms, and Moaning Myrtle's bathroom and perhaps a few more night adventures.'
'Oh yes, that we definitely have to keep up,' Ginny agreed. 'Draco, did you really keep that note? The one your father sent you.'
'Yes,' Draco said, seriously. 'Why do you ask?'
'My father has always said that if you're going to speak to a person negatively, like threaten them or curse them, that you should never, never put it down in writing.'
'He makes a good point, because when something has been passed on in writing, you can always use it as proof against someone.'
'But he IS your father, Draco,' Ginny replied.
'He's no father in my eyes. He speaks of disowning me, but do you know how many times in my life I have wanted to disown him?'
Ginny smiled to herself at this remark. She turned around to face him again. 'Don't look so glum honey,' she cooed. 'Things have a way of sorting themselves out.'
His eyes lit up and sparkled as he gazed upon her face, but he still said in a serious tone, 'Most things, although some need a little nudge in the right direction.'
'Indeed,' she agreed. Then she turned her head away briefly and stifled a yawn. When she faced him again, he kissed her forehead.
'It's getting late, and you're tired. I shouldn't have kept you out here for so long.'
'But if I had the chance to go back and do it all again, I wouldn't change a thing.'
They stood up, grinning at each other, sheepishly. They folded up the blanket and got mounted Draco's broom once more. As they flew back to Ginny's dormitory window, they sat as closely as they could to one another; Ginny leaning her head back onto Draco's shoulder and Draco holding her round the waist with one hand and manoeuvring the broom with the other. As Ginny crawled back through the window Draco helped her to make sure she didn't slip and fall.
Ginny leant out of the window and they kissed again, both finding it hard to pull away. Before he flew off, Draco's mouth curved into a heart- breaking smile and he winked at her. Ginny blew him a kiss and then turned to climb back into bed.
# Oh, he's so ADORABLE!!!!!!#
And, with that, she snuggled up under the blankets, drew the bed hangings and, exhausted, went straight to sleep.
The next day, Ginny rose feeling refreshed and generally happy. After dressing, she walked down to the Gryfindor common room where Hermione awaited her.
'Good morning Hermione,' Ginny said, chirpily.
'Why good morning Ginny,' a smile played on Hermione's lips. 'Did you sleep well?'
'The best sleep I've had in weeks,' Ginny replied, yawning. Hermione smiled, knowingly.
'Late night, I presume?'
Ginny blushed. 'Well, ah..........I suppose it WAS kinda late by the time I finally got to sleep.'
Hermione laughed at this and Ginny went over to her and embraced her. 'Dear, dear Mione. Thank you so much, I don't know what I would do without you.'
'I'm just glad to see you back to your old self, Ginny. If I had to endure one more day with 'robot-Ginny' I think I would have screamed out of sheer frustration.'
'Oh dear, I better get some breakfast, I can feel my tummy grumbling already,' Ginny said, jumping up.
'That doesn't surprise me. You've hardly been eating.'
'Well, I'll make up for THAT this morning,' Ginny grinned, raising one eyebrow daringly.
'And I'll join you,' Hermione said, amused.
And the two friends walked down to the Great Hall. Ginny caught Draco's eye as she walked over to the Gryfindor table and they smiled at each other, but quickly looked away.
She and Hermione seated themselves at the table, opposite Harry and Ron, and Ginny began to pile food onto her plate. The boys watched in amazement.
'Wow Ginny, you've certainly built up an appetite this morning,' Ron remarked in awe.
'Oh yes, I know. Nothing compared to you though Ron.' At this Ron sat up straight and raised his arms as if he were a priest blessing the congregation.
'Yes, I declare whoever can eat more than me, I shall bow down and worship them- with the exception of Crabbe and Goyle of course.'
All throughout the day, Ginny attended her classes and hoped to pass Draco in the corridor. After transfiguration, she got her wish and saw Draco walking down the corridor with Pansy by his side. He looked extremely bored as she chattered endlessly, but his eyes lit up when he saw Ginny and she tried as best she could to hide her smile as they brushed fingertips when passing one another.
She content and nothing could bring her down. She was in love.
--------------Ok, let me offer my apologies to all of you. I'm so sorry about the delay, but school has been putting many pressing obligations on me lately and I've had to resort to writing this chapter late at night when everyone's gone to bed (thinking that I have done the same). To all of you who think that I have no talent as a writer, I am sorry to hear that you didn't take pleasure in reading my story. I accept your criticism as it is and will try to take it on board as I go, but I can't alter my style of writing (it's just the way I write) or this story. To all of you who HAVE enjoyed reading my story so far, I would seriously recommend that you read the 'Sevenwaters Trilogy' written by Juliet Marillier. If you love novels about magic and fantasy and a twist of romance, these books are fantastic. They are my favourite series and I truly believe they are better than Harry Potter (not meaning to cause offence to anyone- it's just my opinion). If you ARE interested, the first book is called 'Daughter of the Forest', the second: 'Son of the Shadows' and the third 'Child of the Prophecy'. Please read them, I know you'll love them. And now I'll retire for the night. Thanks everybody for the reviews. Until next chapter.......CIAO- from Chloe =
Draco's arm snaked around Ginny's waist. Oh how he longed to pull her close to him, but he was afraid she might react wildly, for it had been a long time since they had made physical contact and he believed it would take time to heal the wounds he had not meant to inflict.
To his dismay, Ginny did protest. 'I don't feel comfortable with your arm around me like this, Malfoy,' she said sternly. Draco winced as she said his last name again, but he loosened his grip further per her request.
'My apologies,' he said quietly.
'Where on earth are we going anyway?' Ginny asked, curiously.
'You shall see when we get there.'
He flew around, down to the edge of the lake. It was far enough away from the castle and so it served its purpose in hiding the two from prying eyes. Draco landed as gently as he could and as he dismounted, Ginny stayed where she was.
'Come, Ginny,' Draco said.
'No, I don't think I want to. Not with you. What madness is this? If my brother or Harry knew about this...'
'But they aren't going to know.'
'Who's to say I won't tell them?'
'You won't.
'You have no promise of that.'
'No, you're right, I don't. But I am hoping that you will find it in your heart to keep silent about this. Now please, just..........please come here.' He held out his arms rather awkwardly. Ginny dismounted the broom gracefully and walked towards him. She bypassed his outstretched arms, spread one of the blankets out on the grass and seated herself upon it, on the very edge of the lake. Draco put his arms down and closed his eyes as he felt the blow to his heart. He knew that this night was indeed going to be difficult, but he had hoped.........
He sat down, not too close to Ginny, but close enough. He was silent and he watched her as she trailed her hand in the icy water, its depths unknown and dark. He looked out over the lake. It was a half-moon tonight. The stars winked at him from above and wispy clouds drifted dreamily across the dark blue sky. He watched the small ripples Ginny was making as they grew larger and larger and spread out across a small section of the lake. He studied her face. Her pallor near milk-white with the glow of the moon and her small hand moving slowly, gently across the silky surface of the water. He longed for her touch, to feel her soft skin against his body, to feel her caress his hair as she had once done, but he had to keep himself restrained. She was not ready to open up to him again, not yet. He knew this had to be done slowly, calmly.
'Ginny,' Draco began. He paused, gathering his courage. 'I really wanted to talk to you tonight about what's been going on lately.' Ginny remained silent, hand moving up and down. Up. Down. Draco hesitated and then tried a different approach. 'Do you remember the times we shared many, many weeks ago?'
'Not really,' she said indifferently. 'I mean, Ron told me I had been spending quite a bit of time with you. Obviously that had to stop. Don't know what got into me back then.' She still didn't look at him. Her face remained the same- serene, a mask with no emotion.
'Surely you remember SOMETHING of our time together.'
This time, Ginny did look up. One of her eyebrows arched up, questioningly, but then the mask was placed over her features once more and, still looking at him, she said, 'Nothing.'
Draco was amazed at how much hurt these two syllables could impose. His horror at her response must have shown on his face for Ginny turned her head on one side, curiously, and asked, 'Is something the matter Malfoy?'
Draco took a deep breath. 'Let me remind you,' his voice wavered. 'We sat here together, in this very spot. We walked along the lake's edge. We met each other in the school corridors, we spent time together in empty classrooms. We walked around Hogsmeade, hand in hand, laughing- talking about anything and everything. I bought you a necklace. When Harry handled you harshly, I defended you and sent him away. We sat and lay together on the grass.' Ginny's hand still moved over the water. Up. Down. Up. Down. 'We- we caressed each other, we read the longing in each others' eyes. We told each other our secrets.' Up. Down. Up. Down. 'We comforted each other, we touched, we embraced.' Up. Down. Up. Down. 'We- we confided in one another, we spoke to each other with feeling and emotion, we kissed passionately.' After this sentence, Ginny's hand stopped. 'You remember nothing?'
Ginny didn't meet his desperate gaze. 'Nothing,' she said, although this time, the reply was quieter, more uncertain. It wasn't as defiant as the previous. Draco felt a small spark of hope at her response. He continued.
' We walked throughout the school, amongst the students. Past their disapproving glances, hushed comments and gossip. We had eyes only for each other and they were shut out. They didn't matter. We only cared about each other. We- we were in love.'
At this, Ginny glanced at him. Once their eyes locked, she could not tear her gaze away. Draco saw her eyes. They were brighter, more alert now. Encouraged by this, he went on.
'But then, something changed, and it was for the worse. Someone from our school sent an owl to my father telling him of our romance. This person had been watching us grow closer together and his hatred swelled. He and his friend despised our joy in one another. They had tried to forbid you from seeing me, but love cannot be vanquished and stilled so easily. And so they resorted to telling my father and he was infuriated. His letter back made my head spin and my heart quail. He said if this romance did not cease, he would disown me as a son and cast me out of the family. This I did not care about in the slightest, but it was the next part of the letter that impacted on me. He said that he would find a way to hurt you, and if not you, then those in your family. Those you hold dear and love would mysteriously vanish or perhaps die of some mysterious illness that couldn't be cured in time for its cause to be discovered at St Mungo's. Oh yes, my father has his ways and he is willing to stoop that low. He informed me that he was paying students in the mail to write to him of my actions and tell him of any disobedience involving myself with regard to his plain request- to stay well away from you. I still have his note and I have worked out who some of his devious little spies are, but I can never be sure of how many there really are.
But moving on with the story. I had read the letter and there was nothing more I wanted than to keep you safe. I tried to distance myself from you- though it was very hard for me to do. I tried to avoid you and I barely spoke to you. When I did, it was formal and cold. You caught on straight away that things were different between us. You sought me out and asked me why. The response I chose to give to this question was probably the worst I could have picked. I told you lies- the worst imaginable. I told you I thought we shouldn't be together anymore............ but-but every step I took without you by my side, it was as if I were walking on burning coals. For every time I couldn't talk to you, my throat became dry and I didn't want to talk to anyone else. For every time I wanted to reach out and touch you and had to restrain myself, I wanted to beat my fists until the blood ran. For- for every time I saw you walk past me with no hint of recognition in your eyes, I felt a stab of pain within my chest....... I was a fool. I told you I didn't love you, but oh how I did, and still do. I saw your pain in a different way and I was tormented by it. You had no emotion, no feeling, no laughter or joy in any of your actions. You walked as if you were in a dream, a trance. A hollow shell of the person you once were. I saw this and yet it was so hard to watch you thus. I didn't know what to do or where to turn.
But another of your friends, one who truly cares about your well-being found me and gave me an idea of how I could talk to you without risking your safety or the safety of those who you love.
And so, here we sit. I before you, you before me. I've told you how I feel and what I've done. I've reminded you of everything and told you what an idiot I've been. All I can say is that I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. I can't take back what I have done, but I am trying to mend the hurt that I caused.' He finished. His heart was racing and he watched her, waiting for a reply- anything.
She sat and stared at him and he stared levelly back. His stomach was uneasy with nervousness about what she might say, but she didn't say anything, and this was worse. They looked at each other for what felt like a silent eternity to Draco. But his heart pumped even harder when he saw what happened next. For a moment, a brief, blessed moment, the mask dissipated. He saw Ginny's real emotion in her eyes. Her pain, her sorrow, her longing. The mask quickly regained control over her features, but not fast enough to stop a single glistening tear from sliding down the side of her cheek.
Draco saw this and hope welled up inside him. Ginny quickly brushed it away, but he had seen it. He seized the opportunity to melt the ice further- he moved closer to her and enfolded her in his arms in one sweeping movement. He felt her body stiffen against his, but he held on.
'Move away from me Malfoy,' she said quietly. But he would not let go. 'Get away,' she said, louder this time. Still, he held on. Then she squealed. 'Get away, leave me alone, just GET AWAY,' she began to beat her small fists against his chest, but he hardly felt a thing. She flailed wildly and tried to push him away from her, but he held her tightly and he was not going to let go. 'Get away, please,' she whispered, but she did not fight his embrace anymore. 'Please, please oh please, just leave me be,' the last sentence was barely audible.
It was then that what he had hoped for happened. Tears streamed down her cheeks. Her body shook with the pain that she had bottled up for so long. He heard her sharp breathing as she silently sobbed.
'I'm sorry Ginny, I'm so, so sorry.' And then all her defences fell. The ice was melted, the mask discarded and thrown aside. The tears flowed and flowed. She buried her head in his chest, clinging to the front of his shirt. His chest was near drenched by her tears. She let it all out, all the grief, all the pain, all the anger and by the time she was done, she felt weak. Still Draco held her close. He kissed the tip of her nose and then planted a trail of kisses down her cheek, the side of her chin and the upper part of her neck and between each planted kiss he whispered, 'I'm sorry.'
She wiped the tears off her cheeks and placed a hand gently on either side of his face. Then she pulled him down towards her upturned face and their lips met. The first kiss was long and lingering. Their lips parted and then met once more and there was no going back. It was sweet and the feeling was so, so good. They kissed hungrily, as though they were making up for all the lost time of the past few weeks. Their tongues gently touched and probed. Ginny's arms went around Draco and his around the bottom half of her back. They pulled each other even closer and kissed each other fiercely. Had Ron been watching, he would have been at a loss for the passion he saw before him, for indeed such passion it was They drew staggering breaths in between each parting and meeting of the lips and Ginny found herself slowly moving downwards until she was lying on the ground. Draco leant over her, supporting his weight on one hand, caressing her face with the other and continuing to kiss her.
'You don't have to do that,' Ginny managed to say between kisses.
'You're sure?' Draco replied.
'Mmmmmmmhmmmmmmm,' Ginny sighed and pulled him down so that his entire weight rested on her body.
Ginny moaned quietly out of pure pleasure and Draco found it hard not to smile. They were together again and the moment was so joyous, they wished to savour every second- every kiss, every breath, every heartbeat.
Ginny felt Draco's heart pulsing against her chest and the feeling was comforting. No matter what would happen tomorrow, she knew that Draco loved her and she loved him.
After several minutes, when both were hot and flushed and breathless, they lay down beside one another and looked into each others' eyes. Their arms we still around each other and their legs were partially entwined. Ginny's nose could hardly have been two centimetres from Draco's and they couldn't stop grinning. Every now and then, they exchanged spontaneous kisses and caresses, but they were content.
Ginny sighed and turned around. She wriggled backwards so that she was pressed against Draco's chest, feeling the heat of his body, and he enfolded her in his arms, protectively.
'I don't want tomorrow to come,' Ginny yawned.
'Why is that?' Draco asked, kissing her hair.
'Because, we can't walk together down the corridors anymore, we can't kiss or touch in public......How the hec am I going to manage that?'
Draco laughed at her. 'Well, you know there's always the empty classrooms, and Moaning Myrtle's bathroom and perhaps a few more night adventures.'
'Oh yes, that we definitely have to keep up,' Ginny agreed. 'Draco, did you really keep that note? The one your father sent you.'
'Yes,' Draco said, seriously. 'Why do you ask?'
'My father has always said that if you're going to speak to a person negatively, like threaten them or curse them, that you should never, never put it down in writing.'
'He makes a good point, because when something has been passed on in writing, you can always use it as proof against someone.'
'But he IS your father, Draco,' Ginny replied.
'He's no father in my eyes. He speaks of disowning me, but do you know how many times in my life I have wanted to disown him?'
Ginny smiled to herself at this remark. She turned around to face him again. 'Don't look so glum honey,' she cooed. 'Things have a way of sorting themselves out.'
His eyes lit up and sparkled as he gazed upon her face, but he still said in a serious tone, 'Most things, although some need a little nudge in the right direction.'
'Indeed,' she agreed. Then she turned her head away briefly and stifled a yawn. When she faced him again, he kissed her forehead.
'It's getting late, and you're tired. I shouldn't have kept you out here for so long.'
'But if I had the chance to go back and do it all again, I wouldn't change a thing.'
They stood up, grinning at each other, sheepishly. They folded up the blanket and got mounted Draco's broom once more. As they flew back to Ginny's dormitory window, they sat as closely as they could to one another; Ginny leaning her head back onto Draco's shoulder and Draco holding her round the waist with one hand and manoeuvring the broom with the other. As Ginny crawled back through the window Draco helped her to make sure she didn't slip and fall.
Ginny leant out of the window and they kissed again, both finding it hard to pull away. Before he flew off, Draco's mouth curved into a heart- breaking smile and he winked at her. Ginny blew him a kiss and then turned to climb back into bed.
# Oh, he's so ADORABLE!!!!!!#
And, with that, she snuggled up under the blankets, drew the bed hangings and, exhausted, went straight to sleep.
The next day, Ginny rose feeling refreshed and generally happy. After dressing, she walked down to the Gryfindor common room where Hermione awaited her.
'Good morning Hermione,' Ginny said, chirpily.
'Why good morning Ginny,' a smile played on Hermione's lips. 'Did you sleep well?'
'The best sleep I've had in weeks,' Ginny replied, yawning. Hermione smiled, knowingly.
'Late night, I presume?'
Ginny blushed. 'Well, ah..........I suppose it WAS kinda late by the time I finally got to sleep.'
Hermione laughed at this and Ginny went over to her and embraced her. 'Dear, dear Mione. Thank you so much, I don't know what I would do without you.'
'I'm just glad to see you back to your old self, Ginny. If I had to endure one more day with 'robot-Ginny' I think I would have screamed out of sheer frustration.'
'Oh dear, I better get some breakfast, I can feel my tummy grumbling already,' Ginny said, jumping up.
'That doesn't surprise me. You've hardly been eating.'
'Well, I'll make up for THAT this morning,' Ginny grinned, raising one eyebrow daringly.
'And I'll join you,' Hermione said, amused.
And the two friends walked down to the Great Hall. Ginny caught Draco's eye as she walked over to the Gryfindor table and they smiled at each other, but quickly looked away.
She and Hermione seated themselves at the table, opposite Harry and Ron, and Ginny began to pile food onto her plate. The boys watched in amazement.
'Wow Ginny, you've certainly built up an appetite this morning,' Ron remarked in awe.
'Oh yes, I know. Nothing compared to you though Ron.' At this Ron sat up straight and raised his arms as if he were a priest blessing the congregation.
'Yes, I declare whoever can eat more than me, I shall bow down and worship them- with the exception of Crabbe and Goyle of course.'
All throughout the day, Ginny attended her classes and hoped to pass Draco in the corridor. After transfiguration, she got her wish and saw Draco walking down the corridor with Pansy by his side. He looked extremely bored as she chattered endlessly, but his eyes lit up when he saw Ginny and she tried as best she could to hide her smile as they brushed fingertips when passing one another.
She content and nothing could bring her down. She was in love.
--------------Ok, let me offer my apologies to all of you. I'm so sorry about the delay, but school has been putting many pressing obligations on me lately and I've had to resort to writing this chapter late at night when everyone's gone to bed (thinking that I have done the same). To all of you who think that I have no talent as a writer, I am sorry to hear that you didn't take pleasure in reading my story. I accept your criticism as it is and will try to take it on board as I go, but I can't alter my style of writing (it's just the way I write) or this story. To all of you who HAVE enjoyed reading my story so far, I would seriously recommend that you read the 'Sevenwaters Trilogy' written by Juliet Marillier. If you love novels about magic and fantasy and a twist of romance, these books are fantastic. They are my favourite series and I truly believe they are better than Harry Potter (not meaning to cause offence to anyone- it's just my opinion). If you ARE interested, the first book is called 'Daughter of the Forest', the second: 'Son of the Shadows' and the third 'Child of the Prophecy'. Please read them, I know you'll love them. And now I'll retire for the night. Thanks everybody for the reviews. Until next chapter.......CIAO- from Chloe =
